Veterinary care in horses encompasses the medical and preventive measures taken to maintain and improve the health and well-being of equine patients. It includes a wide range of practices such as routine health examinations, vaccinations, dental care, parasite control, and management of injuries and diseases. Veterinary care also involves diagnostic procedures, surgical interventions, and therapeutic treatments tailored to the specific needs of horses. This page gathers peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore various aspects of equine veterinary care, including advancements in diagnostic techniques, treatment protocols, and health management strategies to support the well-being and performance of horses.
Katila T, Oijala M, Kotilainen T, Väisänen K.Four subfertile mares (at least 2 barren years) were used as donors in an embryo transfer program. The embryo recovery rate was 50%, varying between 0-100. The transfer of 9 embryos resulted in the pregnancy rate of 44%. The efficiency of embryo transfer using subfertile mares is low. In this material 20% of flushings resulted in a pregnancy. Fyra subfertila ston (gatt galla i minst 2 är) användes som donatorer i ett program för embryot rans fer. Femtio procent av embryon tillvaratogs (varians 0–100%). Transfer av 9 embryon gav en dräktighetsresultat på 44%. Embryotransfer från subfert...
Schmidt-Oechtering GU.The anaesthesia with Xylazine and Ketamine in 24 foals is described. Special qualities of this form of anaesthesia and dosages for foals of different age are discussed. The combination of Xylazine and Ketamine is well suited for the anaesthesia of foals of all age and risk-groups. The induction takes place quickly and calmly, without signs of cardiorespiratory depression. The maintenance of anaesthesia is possible, without any problem, by repeated injection with Xylazine and Ketamine, as well as by inhalation anaesthesia with volatile anaesthetics. The recovery is short; the animals rise swift...
Orsini JA, Donawick WJ.Two female Standardbred foals 2 and 3 months of age were presented with signs of gastroduodenal obstruction that was confirmed with contrast radiography and exploratory surgery. Ventral midline celiotomy was performed, showing stenosis of the duodenum proximal and distal to the hepatopancreatic ampulla. The common hepatic duct, the pancreatic duct, and the sigmoid section of the duodenum proximal to the stenosis were greatly dilated. To bypass the intestinal obstruction, a side-to-side duodenojejunostomy was performed. Obstruction of the common hepatic duct was relieved by side-to-side hepatic...
Pedersen NC.Lentiviruses are associated with persistent infection and chronic
disease in three major species of livestock—horses, sheep, and goats.
Another lentivirus named bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) recently has been described (Gonda et al., 1987). It is a Visna-like virus that was originally isolated over a decade ago from cattle with
persistent lymphocytosis, lymphadenopathy, weakness, emaciation,
and central nervous system (CNS) lesions (Van der Maaten et al,
1972). There is very little information on the epidemiology, clinical
manifestations, or importance of bovine lentivirus infect...
Staudacher G.23 horses and one donkey with congestive heart failure are treated with a standardized methyldigoxin dose (0.0032 mg/kg of body weight). The therapy is controlled by the serum concentration of the cardiac glycoside. 4 horses have a higher and 13 horses a lower serum concentration as necessary for therapeutic approach. The influence of additional diseases and medications is demonstrated. Finally a rule for the evaluation of the individual therapeutic glycoside-dose is given.
Schlater LR.Thirteen strains of a gram-negative, fermentative bacterium that produced gas from glucose were isolated from horses with a variety of clinical conditions. The morphological and biochemical characteristics of this bacterium are similar to those described for the family Pasteurellaceae. These strains appear to constitute a new taxon within the genus Pasteurella; however, the final taxonomic position of this group depends upon more detailed genetic studies. Case histories indicate that this bacterium may be a primary respiratory pathogen and may play a secondary role in various other disease con...
Ragle CA, Meagher DM, Lacroix CA, Honnas CM.A retrospective study of 40 horses that underwent surgical treatment for sand colic was performed. Three horses were euthanatized and one died during surgery. Of the 36 horses that recovered from anesthesia, five died before discharge from the hospital and seven died after discharge. Twenty-four horses survived at least 12 months. Sand impaction of the right dorsal colon was present in 26 horses. In addition to sand impaction, 10 horses also had colonic displacement or volvulus.
Antal V, Antal T, Szabó I, Vajda G, Polner A, Szollár I, Totth B, Laber G, Stipkovits L.The authors examined 585 samples from 92 mares of 2 studs and 346 nasal swabs taken from their foals for the presence of mycoplasmas. The positive rates of mares and foals were 81.5% and 71.7%, respectively, with positivity of samples being variable. Clinical symptoms developed in 2-4 waves and lasted 3-7 days, with intervals of 7-12 days. The disease started in April among foals born in February, at an average age of 88 days. Later on, the average age of the affected foals decreased. There was a correlation between presence of mycoplasmas in nasal cavity and disease of foals.
Hendrikx WM, Jansen J, de Vries TJ.An infection with second-stage larvae of the warble-fly H. diana in a horse is described. The second-stage larvae were incapable of developing into the third stage, because horses are unsuitable hosts and because the infected horse was treated with an insecticide. Since the horse was used for dragging trees in the forests, the infection was likely contracted via contact with H. diana, a normal parasite of roe deer in the Netherlands.
Harris RC, Snow DH, Katz A, Sahlin K.Muscle biopsies taken after exercise, in comparison to those at rest, contain increased amounts of blood and this is a particular problem in studies of the horse. The inclusion of blood in muscle will introduce an upward bias in values of pH measured in muscle homogenates. In an attempt to control this, muscle biopsy samples of the middle gluteal from Thoroughbred horses were freeze-dried and dissected free of blood before determination of pH. Following exercise, muscle pH measured after freeze-drying was similar to that measured in homogenates prepared from frozen samples. In contrast, freeze...
Kamerling S, Wood T, DeQuick D, Weckman TJ, Tai C, Blake JW, Tobin T.Narcotic analgesics produce pharmacological effects by interacting with specific opiate receptors. At least five major types of opiate receptors have been recognised. These include mu (morphine) and kappa (ethylketazocine) receptor types. Narcotic analgesics which interact with mu receptors produce locomotor and autonomic stimulation at doses that produce little or no analgesia. Therefore, use of these drugs as analgesics in equine medicine has not been very satisfactory. Theoretical considerations suggested that the role of kappa agonists in equine analgesia be investigated. Using a pure kapp...
Madison JB, Donawick WJ, Johnston DE, Orsini RA.Skin expansion was used in three horses, one heifer, and one dog to aid in the repair of cosmetic defects. Skin expansion was produced by inserting an expandable silicone device subcutaneously and gradually inflating the device with saline. Skin expansion allowed skin to be mobilized and sutured over cosmetic defects without excessive tension. A successful outcome was achieved in four of the five cases reported here. In one animal, two attempts to create a pocket for a silicone prosthesis failed because the expanders ruptured. Complications included implant failure, wound dehiscence, and expos...
Marlin DJ, Harris RC, Gash SP, Snow DH.1. Muscle biopsies were collected from 85 thoroughbred horses and analysed for carnosine content by an automated HPLC method. 2. No significant sex difference was found between colts, geldings and fillies. 3. There was a trend towards lower muscle carnosine contents with age, which was only significant between 1-year-old untrained horses and 4+ year-old horses (P less than 0.002).
van Suntum M, Hartung K.Subchondral bone cysts or cyst like lesions are an important hint in the radiographic diagnosis of degenerative joint disease. In this study we set artificial lesions of different size in the subchondral bone of different joint surfaces of horses, and we then tried to determine from which size on these lesions could be made visible on radiographs in different projections. It shows that the possibility of visualization of such lesions is frequently overestimated, cyst like lesions have to be quite large, before they can be seen on routine radiographs.
Matsushita T, Hesterberg LK, Porter JP, Smith BJ, Newman LE.Two diagnostic tests are approved for detecting antibody to equine infectious anemia virus: the agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test and the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A total of 420 sera from National Veterinary Services Laboratories check sets were tested with the AGID and competitive ELISA. A 100% correlation was obtained. The AGID and competitive ELISA were further used to test difficult samples with low levels of equine infectious anemia antibody (weak positives). A third test (Western blot) was also used with these weak positive samples to resolve any discorda...
Herzog A, Höhn H, Klug E, Hecht W.In a 7 months old foal with a male pseudohermaphroditism the cytogenetic investigation revealed a XO/XYY-mosaic with a centric fusion of the Y-chromosomes.
Crawley GR, Grant BD, Krpan MK, Major MD.Thirteen cases of partial limb amputation in horses were reviewed. Nine horses (69%) survived 18 to 111 months (mean, 41 months). Four unsuccessfully treated horses were euthanatized within 21 days of surgery. The horses' ages at amputation were 4 to 13 years (mean, 7.3 years). There was no predilection for the left or right limb nor for fore or hind limb involvement. Osteomyelitis in six horses (46%) was the most common cause for amputation. Severe, open, comminuted fractures of the third metacarpal bone that were impossible to stabilize by any currently available technique in four horses (31...
Nishita T, Matsushita H.Sections of equine thymus were examined for the presence of carbonic anhydrase (CA) isozymes by an immunohistochemical method. Carbonic anhydrase III, a major enzyme of skeletal muscle, was localized in some of the epithelial-reticular cells of the equine thymus. This finding suggests the presence of a new type of cell in the thymic cortex. The concentration of CA-III in the thymus was 17 micrograms/g wet tissue. CA-I and CA-II were not found in equine thymus.
Dahn M, Ueltschi G.Normal radiographs of hocks were analyzed for 270 horses (3 views for each hock). They were mainly from young and sound horses. For such animals, the mean number of abnormalities found was 2 to 4.5 for each picture. The mean dimension of certain tarsal bones was measured; geldings had greater bones than mares. An increase of reactions at the origin of the M. interosseus was seen with the age. It was possible to demonstrate that Medichrome films increase the number of discrete abnormalities to be found; this is of particular value for purchase examinations of young horses. The direction of the ...
Durchfeld B, Rüdiger J.Bilateral rupture of the musculus longus capitis from the tuberculum musculare of the os occipitale and of the musculus rectus capitis ventralis from the os occipitale combined with a synchondrolysis of the synchondrosis sphenooccipitalis in a 17 months old thoroughbred stallion is reported.
The Journal of traumaJanuary 1, 1989
Volume 29, Issue 1 25-30 doi: 10.1097/00005373-198901000-00005
Ingemarson H, Grevsten S, Thorén L.Riding accidents can be of a serious nature. Knowledge of risk factors is of essential value in the prevention of injuries. From the years 1969 through 1982 a series of 53 lethal riding injuries is analysed with reference to the rider, the horse, and the environment. Craniocerebral injuries dominate in this series, indicating the importance of adequately protecting helmets. Among the victims the female sex is dominating before the age of 25 and the males above this age. Older horses are less frequently involved in these accidents than younger ones. A long training period for riders under surve...
Mäkinen A, Katila T, Kuokkanen MT.Only one X chromosome was found in each of the lymphocyte metaphases studied in an infertile mare. Karyotype analysis was made with the CBG and GTG banding techniques. The most obvious clinical abnormality was gonadal hypoplasia.
Zantingh AJ, Gaughan EM, Bain FT.A 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding was evaluated after a 10-week history of occasional straining during urination and dark red urine production after exercise. Physical examination findings were within normal limits. After 2 weeks of clinical signs, ultrasonography had found no abnormalities in the kidneys or bladder. A freely voided urine sample revealed an elevated protein concentration (500 mg/dL; reference range: <100 mg/dL) and few red blood cells. Vitamin C supplementation was suggested to acidify the urine, as was provision of a salt block to encourage water intake.
Nolen-Walston RD, Moore CM, Barr CA, Tomlinson JE, Boston RC, Soma LR.To determine the anabolic and lipolytic effects of a low dosage of clenbuterol administered orally in working and nonworking equids. Methods: 8 nonworking horses and 47 polo ponies in active training. Methods: Each polo pony continued training and received either clenbuterol (0.8 μg/kg) or an equal volume of corn syrup (placebo) orally twice daily for 21 days, and then was evaluated for another 21-day period. Nonworking horses received clenbuterol or placebo at the same dosage for 21 days in a crossover trial (2 treatments/horse). For working and nonworking horses, percentage body fat (PBF) w...
McKay AG, Milne FJ.A project to determine if intraarticular corticosteroid therapy was deleterious to the racing Thoroughbred was carried out in the 1971, 1972, and 1973 racing seasons. Of 22 horses available for follow-up examination, 6 had radiographic evidence of deterioration; 1 of these was destroyed because of probable corticosteroid-induced arthropathy. The remaining 16 horses did not have any evidence of deterioration. One of the 16, a stakes winner, had been given 12 injections into the left front fetlock during the 3-year period. It was concluded that if proper and careful aftercare is adhered to, intr...
Gianini M, Sutter O, Burger D, Bracher V.Gastrointestinal function was assessed in normal foals before, during and after the onset of 'foal heat diarrhoea' by haematological, biochemical, microbiological and parasitological methods, and by a combined lactose tolerance-breath hydrogen excretion test. Warmblood mares (n=11) and their foals were used. The foals were assessed according to a standard protocol after birth and at regular intervals thereafter. All except one of the foals suffered from diarrhoea that started between day 8 and day 12 after birth, which lasted for 1-4 days. Rotavirus was detected in the faeces of five foals, bu...
Gilger BC, Histed J, Pate DO, Clode AB, McMullen RJ.This case report describes the clinical, diagnostic, computed tomography findings, and surgical treatment of a 2-year-old Morgan filly with bilateral, proximal, and distal anomalous nasolacrimal duct openings.
Fokken D.Presented here is a case r eport on a horse that is a part of the South Dakota State Univeristy equestrian team. The horse experienced an itchy skin allergy, as did other horses. It was successfully treated with compounded tripelennamine hydrochloride injection and diphenhydramine hydrochloride, hydrocortisone and tripelennamine hydrochloride topical gel.
Boyd JS.The deformities observed in 2 Clydesdale foals are described. Both had abnormal joint positions in the forelimbs and discrepancies in the symmetry of the vertebral column. The changes were only mild in one case but extreme in the other where it was accompanied by torticollis, scoliosis and vertebral fusion. A comparison is made with deformities described in the contracted foal syndrome and some of the developmental implications discussed.